Nonsmooth bifurcation problems in finite dimensional spaces via scaling of variables (Q691337)

Consider a bifurcation equation of the form \[ P(x)+\varepsilon Q(x,\varepsilon)= 0,\tag{\(*\)} \] where \(P: \mathbb{R}^n\to \mathbb{R}^n\), \(Q: \mathbb{R}^n\times [0,1]\to \mathbb{R}^n\), \(\varepsilon\) is a small positive parameter. Assume the existence of a parametrized smooth curve \(\theta\mapsto x_0(\theta)\), \(\theta\in [0,1]\), satisfying \(P(x_0(0))\equiv 0\) for \(\theta\in [0,1]\). The authors look for conditions ensuring the existence of smooth families of solutions \(x(\varepsilon)\), \(0<\varepsilon\ll 1\), of \((*)\) originating from the curve \(x_0(0)\) at some \(\theta_0\in [0,1]\) under the conditions that \(P\) is continuous but not Fréchet differentiable at \(x_0(\theta_0)\) and that \(Q\) is for \(\varepsilon= 0\) either discontinuous or not Fréchet differentiable at \(x_0(\theta_0)\). They show that in the present, nonsmooth case there can exist more than one branch of solutions emanating from \(x_0(\theta_0)\). Their approach is based on a suitable scaling of the state variables. Finally, the main result in Theorem 1 is applied to a periodically perturbed autonomous differential system in \(\mathbb{R}^2\).